Plus, area musicians unite to raise funds and awareness for various causes this week

Eclectic Indie/Alt Rock trio Voodoo Loons returns to the stage this week to celebrate the release of its new album, The Criminal Ear. It’s the second full-length from the band that counts Donegal, Ireland, and
Cincinnati as its hometowns (singer/songwriter/guitarist Dennis O’Hagan
is a dual citizen and the band has performed on both sides of the
Atlantic).

The new album will be officially released
Tuesday, but local fans will get early access when Voodoo Loons hosts a
release party this Friday at Molly Malone’s (112 E. Fourth St.,
Covington, covington.mollymalonesirishpub.com). The show starts at 8
p.m. with an opening set from Jody & Sammy Stapleton. There is no
admission charge, but the band is asking for donations at the door for
the Center for Courageous Kids, a free camp in Scottsville, Ky., for
children who are disabled or are suffering from life-threatening
illnesses. (Visit thecenterforcourageouskids.org for more on the camp.)
Attendees donating $10 or more will get a free copy of The Criminal Ear.

Voodoo Loons’ debut album, 2008’s Euphobia, was lauded for its solid blend of diverse influences and The Criminal Ear
shows how that mix, the songwriting and the overall performances and
production have been sharpened and refined over the intervening years.
It’s not just the diversity that makes The Criminal Ear a thoroughly entertaining start-to-finish listen; the material is also top notch.

The 10 tracks on The Criminal Ear
are split between acoustic songs that show elements of Irish and
American Roots music and big, distorted, multifaceted Alternative Rock.
The album kicks off with the seven-minute “Loving the Monster,” which
sparkles with jangly guitar and rhythmic tricks that recall The Police
before erupting into a hard, intense chorus, with varied psychedelic
noise sprinkled throughout. On “In a Locket,” the Loons’ acoustic and
electric sonic personas come together on one track, opening with
acoustic guitar and O’Hagan’s creeping, distorted melodies swelling
alongside somber string sounds and building into full-Rock mode, with
the vocals likewise rising in intensity.

Elsewhere, the gorgeous “The Winter
Trail” shows the Loons can be just as powerful with acoustic guitars and
mandolin, while “Nothing Happens in Wexford” sounds like an aural gene
splice of Roy Orbison, The Waterboys and The Ass Ponys.

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Another
highlight is “Delicate Flower,” a swaying, swaggering track with a
spooky vibe reminiscent of some of Greg Dulli’s best work with Twilight
Singers. Before closing the album out with “Reprise,” an acoustic
instrumental that most reveals the traditional Irish music influence on
the band, the Loons offer up the punkish “The Restraining Order Song,”
which is loaded with big riffs, raw soloing, a stinging harmonica
interlude and compelling lyrics of confused heartbreak.

• If you like The Grateful Dead and going
to concerts to support worthy charities, this Friday night The Redmoor
(3187 Linwood Road, Mount Lookout, theredmoor.com) is the place to be.
The venue is hosting the fifth annual Tie Dye Ball, featuring live music
from local Jam veterans Jerry’s Little Band and The Spookfloaters.
Admission is $10, which (along with money raised via raffles and split
the pot opportunities) will be donated to the local Play It Forward
organization (pifcincy.org), which assists area musicians in their times
of need. Showtime is 9 p.m.

• Friday at the Southgate House Revival
(111 E. Sixth St., Newport, southgatehouse.com), five area Punk bands
are teaming up for a memorial/benefit concert in honor of musician and
local music supporter Dave McClain, who passed away in November of last
year. The “McClainica Memorial/Benefit” was set up to raise money for
McClain’s wife and children and will include a silent auction of artwork
and band merchandise. Martin Luther & The Kings, The Zvills, Rev.
Fear & the Nightmares, The Nothing and a reunited Total Dudes are
scheduled to perform at the 9 p.m. show, which will take place in the
Southgate’s Revival Room. Admission is a $10 donation.Click here for more info.

• Last year, after watching numerous
friends die from heroin overdoses, local Hip Hop artist Wake decided to
form the nonprofit organization #DOGma in an effort to raise awareness
about and fight against the resurging heroin epidemic that has again
taken hold in the Greater Cincinnati area (and beyond). The group has
held various meetings in the area for input on ways to “challenge
current mainstream methods of solving the heroin epidemic.” This Friday,
#DOGma will present an awareness-raising benefit show featuring
performances by Wake, Fayday and J-Sheetz, who donates proceeds from
sales of his track “Raindrops” (about heroin addiction) on iTunes to
area rehab facilities. Friday’s event takes place at Sports Rock Bar and
Grill (453 Old State Route 74, Eastgate, sportsrockbarandgrill.com) and
admission is a $3 donation (minimum). For more on the organization,
visit facebook.com/DOGmaCincinnati.